Southwestern Archaeology Today

Friday, December 31, 2010

To continue following "Southwest Archaeology Today" visit us at our new home on the Center for Desert Archaeology Website. Visit http://www.cdarc.org/what-we-do/information-resources/southwest-archeology-today/ to continue following the latest news in Southwestern Archaeology.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Southwest Archaeology Today - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

Global Conference Explores Preservation ArchaeologySo, how can we manage these sites in a sustainable fashion? How can we create a system of site selection, preservation, and conservation that helps the local economy protect a cultural treasure that ultimately belongs to the world? How can technology be leveraged to assist these efforts? These are just some of the questions being asked today at Stanford University in California, where a group of experts in conservation, development, archaeology, philanthropy, technology, tourism and travel have gathered to attend the first Forum on Cultural Heritage in a Developing World.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-bernstein/why-heritage-matters_b_766566.html

Hollywood is Getting Ready to Tell "The Legend of the Hohokam."We’re always on the lookout for interesting films currently gearing up for production, and we’ve been contacted by the team behind the movie The Legend of Hohokam with some news on directors circling the project. The Hohokam people disappeared from their Arizona homeland in the 15th century and this new film will tell their story, we’re promised, in the style of Dances with Wolves and Apocalypto.http://tinyurl.com/2en9lso - HeyUGuys.Co.Uk

'Threads of Memory' Exhibition to Showcase Spanish Influence in American HistoryThe pieces of paper and the maps that hang on the museum walls are like images rotated in a viewfinder toy camera — they become more intricate as the exhibit progresses. The conquered, explored and colonized territory, from the tip of Mexico to 17 U.S. states, is shown in black ink and in colored illustrations, all preserved on hemp paper. Spain's involvement in the American independence is something not everyone realizes, said Josef Díaz, curator of Southwest and Mexican Colonial Art and History Collections. One man in particular, Don Diego de Gardoqui, helped finance the Revolution.http://www.santafenewmexican.com/SantaFeNorthernNM/A-shared-heritage

Arizona Archaeological Council’s Annual Conference Scheduled for Friday and Saturday, October 29-30, 2010AAC’s annual conference is at Arizona State Museum this year! The public is invited to attend scholarly presentations by regional archaeologists 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. on Saturday. Schedule and abstracts posted soon. A reception on Friday from 5-7 p.m. includes a used book sale, offering huge selections in southwestern anthropology. Books start at $1, journals as low as 25¢. Conference registration is $10 per person/free for AAC members. Contact Dr. James Watson to register at 520-621-4794. Not an AAC member? Join now at the link below.http://arizonaarchaeologicalcouncil.org/aac/

Texas Archeological Society Meetings to be held this Weekend! Archeologists Convene at the Omni Hotel in Corpus Christi, Oct. 22, bring your artifacts for identification! You’re invited to Texas Archeological Society (TAS) annual meeting on October 22 at the Omni Bayfront Hotel, 900 North Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi, 78401. Friday, October 22 at 3:30 the first Round Table session will be “Archeology without Borders” and will feature speakers from Texas and Mexico with Native Americans as commentators. At 7:00 PM on Friday the topic “Native Peoples of the Texas Coast: Prehistory to Today” will be presented by archeologists Dr. Robert Ricklis, Rich Weinstein and Jose Medina. This Forum is free and open to the public.Http://www.txarch.org

Call for Papers - "Origin Stories: Narratives of North American Diversity, 1400-1700" Presenting the 28th Annual Visiting Scholar Conference, Center for Archaeological Investigations, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, April 22-23, 2011. The dynamic nature of Native American, European, European, American, and African American identities and interactions in North America between 1400 and 1700 is often acknowledged, but rarely elaborated. Past descriptions, as well as many current accounts, focus on a combination of “guns, germs, and steel,” as though history was a wave from Europe that swept across America bringing modernity, capitalism, and democracy. Archaeologists have increasingly been able to reveal a much more complex, diverse, and remarkable record of the Early Modern era.Yet these stories still only reach a limited audience.http://www.cai.siuc.edu/vspages/wilshusen/callforpapers.html

NAGPRA at 20 Symposium PlannedPlease join the National NAGPRA Program, The George Washington University'sDepartment of Museum Studies and Department of Anthropology, and several other partners for a two-day symposium to recognize the 20th anniversary of the passage of NAGPRA. A preliminary agenda and registration information, as well as lodging information (including a list of hotels costing under$100 night), can be found on the National NAGPRA Program website. The symposium is free but will be limited to 250-260 participants due to space limitations. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to register early.http://www.nps.gov/history/nagpra/TRAINING/NAGPRA_at_20.html

National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers Offering a Workshop on Exhibition Development"Telling Our History: Exhibition Development, ” November 8-12, 2010Hosted by The Navajo Nation Museum. Comprised of four and one-half days of learning through presentations, dialogue, hands-on experience, and on-site visits to museum exhibits in the area. Tribal museum and cultural center directors and staff will learn about and share information that address the basics of exhibit development. Each day will include interactive activities, lessons from case studies and model museums, and opportunities for participants to learn from one another. Application Deadline: November 1, 2010 (participants accepted on a rolling basis; apply as soon as possible). Registration Fee: $125 (covers 3 lunches, 3 dinners and all course materials; any other meals will be on your own). Getty Scholarships: A limited number of travel scholarship are available from NATHPO thanks to the support of The Getty Grant Program. For more information and all applications, follow the link below.http://www.nathpo.org/NNMTP/2010ExhibitsWorkshop.html

Avocational Archaeologists Found the Verde Valley Archaeological Center Enough is enough. That is the mantra of some dedicated folks who are now pulling out all the stops in an effort to build a facility to house what treasures is left. Ken Zoll, current president of the Verde Valley Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society, along with two past presidents, Dr. Jim Graceffa and Sharon Olsen, and a handful of others have recently formed a new organization, the Verde Valley Archaeology Center. "We want to stop the bleeding," says Zoll, "We have been approached by some folks who have private collections and are also committed to keeping them in the Verde Valley. For that reason and some others, we believe now is the time to get started."http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=38701

Historic Preservation or Public Art for the Rose Bowl: A Fight over One PercentHistoric preservation won, leaving art proponents miffed at their ongoing losing streak before the Pasadena City Council. Usually, city law requires developers to pay 1% of major construction projects’ cost to a public arts fund, to be spent on commissioning new art works at the development site. But when a project involves renovations to a historic landmark, such as the 88-year-old Rose Bowl, officials have the choice of commissioning new art with the 1% fee, or applying it to restoring worn or damaged historic elements of the site so they look new again.http://tinyurl.com/2u7j5fb - Los Angeles Times

Mesa Verde Holds Groundbreaking on New Research and Visitor's CenterWith the scrape of modern shovels and traditional Native American digging sticks against the rocky soil of Mesa Verde National Park, 80 years of dreams became reality Friday. Park officials, visiting dignitaries and about 150 spectators gathered to celebrate the start of construction on the $12.1 million Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center being built at the park's entrance. Superintendent Cliff Spencer opened the ceremony, commenting on the magnitude of the occasion.http://tinyurl.com/36x2dyw - Durango Herald

Lecture Opportunity (Cortez)The Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society will present archaeologist Jerry Fetterman on November 2, 7:00 p.m., at the Cortez Cultural Center. His talk, "McLean Basin: North of Hovenweep - on the State Line" examines the results of archaeological surveys in the McLean Basin Area of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. These surveys have been conducted over the past several years for the Bureau of Land Management by Woods Canyon Archaeological Consultants, Inc. and Smith Environmental and Engineering. Jerry Fetterman, a resident of Yellow Jacket, has been an archaeological researcher in southwest Colorado for 35 years. Since his graduation from University of Colorado in 1977, he has conducted hundreds of projects throughout the Four Corners Region. This presentation is free and open to the public. For more information about the talk or the Hisatsinom Chapter, please contact Marcie Ryan, 882-3391.

Employment Opportunity (Comstock TX)Grow with SHUMLA, As The New Deputy Executive Director. SHUMLA is an internationally recognized nonprofit education and archeological research center located in the community of Comstock on the Southwest Texas border west of Del Rio. We seek a Deputy Executive Director ready to grow, professionally and personally, with us. The Deputy Director of SHUMLA will oversee education operations: motivating and supervising staff and volunteers; evaluating curriculum; promoting new programs; and writing grant proposals to support the vision. Contact Elton Prewitt with a letter of interest to receive a copy of the job specifications. Information about SHUMLA and its activities and programs can be found at http://www.shumla.orgEmployment Opportunity (Short Deadline)The BLM El Centro, CA Field Office is currently advertising for a TermGS-07/09 Archaeologist. Below is the job announcement number for USAjobs.The job announcement closes 10/22, so people need to get their applicationsin ASAP. Please help spread the word! Thanks! Reference " FS-383168-AK10"http://www.usajobs.gov/

Thanks to Gerald Kelso for contributing to today's newsletter.

Publication Note - Southwest Archaeology Today Newsletter Upgrade in ProgressThis newsletter will take a break next week as we migrate to a new server that will allow the Center for Desert Archaeology to do a better job of sharing the news about archaeology, anthropology, and historic preservation in the American Southwest. For our readers who have enjoyed the newsletter here at Blogspot, this will be the final full newsletter posted at this location. We hope you will follow us over to the new home for Southwestern Archaeology Today in early November.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

Arizona Republic Endorses a Preservation Approach to Ballot InitiativesProp. 301 would divert all of the Land Conservation Fund, which voters approved 12 years ago, into a one-time-only budget patch. It would sacrifice long-term benefits that include educational funding, community open space, and protection for archaeology, habitat and scenic resources on trust land.http://tinyurl.com/2ae4xe5 - Arizona Republic

Data Recovery Nearly Complete at the Site of the Future Peoria Palo Verde ParkOn a hot September afternoon, archaeologist Mark Hackbarth tread carefully across the fenced site that is dotted with short sticks with pink and orange markers. He looked for "hot spots" of Hohokam activity. The archaeologist has been using a device that sends radar pulses to capture subsurface images. "This is as good as it gets as far as archaeological sites go," Hackbarth said, pointing dirt-lined fingers to a dug-up area.http://tinyurl.com/2ec4fr7 - Arizona Republic

Archaeology under AttackSomewhere out there, there's a modern Western explorer who decided he had something so important to say that it had to be slathered in silver paint on a remote rock wall full of ancient petroglyphs in the national forest. The mysterious etchings depicting people, animals and a blazing sun are in a box canyon known as Keyhole Sink in the Kaibab National Forest east of Williams, a mountain town off Interstate 40 that has welcomed sojourners since its namesake, fur trapper "Old Bill" Williams, explored the locale in the early to mid-1800s.http://tinyurl.com/22m263c - Arizona Republic

Poster Contest for Utah Archaeology WeekArchaeology Week isn't until May 7-14 but the Antiquities Section of State History is now inviting Utah residents to participate in the Utah Archaeology Week Poster Contest. Cash prizes will be offered in three categories: grand prize: $250; secondary school winner: $100; elementary school winner: $100.http://tinyurl.com/2v5dpzj - Deseret News

Tour / Hiking Opportunity Wilderness Hike to the Dittert Site,Saturday October 16, 2010. “Coyote, Doctor Dittert, and the Ancestors” Dr. Dittert said this site was built over a Chacoan outlier-like site. Others say it is closer to Mogollon country and influence. It may be the last mansion locally built before the difficult times of the 1270s. Come find out about two great ancestral cultures of the southwest, and decide for yourself if this is where they met, whether they got along, and why they chose this place. Modern interpretations are in flux. In the late 1200s drought was pervasive as was the likelihood of political upheaval.Http://www.cdarc.org/sat/dittert_hike_2010.doc

New Website Documents Efforts to Preserve the Colonial Missions of Chihuahua (from Gloria Eugenia Alvillar)My cousin who lives in Chihuahua, Chihuahua has sent this website on the mission reconstruction effort there. The video on the bottom half of the page is very well done. There is a Tarahumara governor who speaks toward the end of the film and it is moving. I would love to do a translation so that it can be shown in English. The narrative is respectful of all who participated in the legacy that is ours today. There are two architects from Valencia, Spain who are working on this effort and a small book has been published on how to restore old Spanish missions. Enjoy.http://www.misionescoloniales.org/

Crow Canyon Announces New Three-Year Field ProjectThe new project shifts our focus in a number of ways: from the end of the ancestral Pueblo occupation to the beginning, from the final migration out of the region to the initial migration in, and from the best-understood period of ancestral Pueblo history to the least understood. The Basketmaker Communities Project: Early Pueblo Society in the Mesa Verde Region will focus on the earliest substantial period of ancestral Pueblo settlement in the Mesa Verde region, known as the Basketmaker III period (A.D. 500–750), and will investigate where these initial settlers came from, what their society was like, and the ways these early farmers impacted a pristine environment.http://www.imakenews.com/crowcanyon1/e_article001886894.cfm?x=b11,0,w

Hueco Tanks Interpretive Fair Scheduled for October 16 and 17thThe Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site's 2010 Interpretive Fair Weekend will be held from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. October 16, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. October 17. Attractions of the two-day event will include Native American dancing and drumming, folklorico dancers, pictograph, birding and nature tours and booths. Tours will begin at 8 a.m. both days of the fair, and will include birding tours, nature hikes, rare plant tours, hiking tours and tours to Native American pictograph sites. Visitors can browse informational booths on local history, desert wildlife, area parks and native plants. There will also be food, art and gifts for sale. An evening campfire storytelling program will start at 6 p.m. Saturday, October 16. The fair will be held at Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site, 6900 Hueco Tanks Rd. #1, El Paso, TX 79938. From US Highway 62/180, turn north onto Ranch Road 2775. Continue through the park gate to the headquarters building. The park is 32 miles northeast of El Paso.

Lecture Opportunity (Irvine)The Pacific Coast Archaeological Society's October 14th meeting will feature Dr. Steven R. James speaking on “Archaeological Field Schools in California and the American Southwest: Historical Perspectives and Personal Reflections.” Meeting information: Thursday, October 14, 2010, 7:30 pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA. Meeting is free and open to the public.http://www.pcas.org

Student Employment Opportunity (Delores)The Curatorial Program at the Bureau of Land Management - Anasazi Heritage Center is recruiting for qualified students who are interested in learning about the museum profession – particularly museum collections management for BLM and the Department of the Interior. The Student Temporary Experience Program (STEP) is temporary employment in the Federal government that provides the student with an opportunity to gain experience in the Federal government.Http://www.cdarc.org/sat/ahc_step.doc

Friday, October 1, 2010

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

Tutuveni Petroglyphs Provided with Extra ProtectionRecognized as a sacred site by the Hopi people, the Hopi "Tutuveni" petroglyph area located near Tuba City and state Highway 89 contains the largest, most significant concentration of Hopi clan symbols found anywhere in the American southwest.http://tinyurl.com/258rwz5 - Navajo Hopi Observer

Archaeologists Dismiss Clovis Comet Impact TheoryNew research challenges the controversial theory that an ancient comet impact devastated the Clovis people, one of the earliest known cultures to inhabit North America. Writing in the October issue of Current Anthropology, archaeologists Vance Holliday (University of Arizona) and David Meltzer (Southern Methodist University) argue that there is nothing in the archaeological record to suggest an abrupt collapse of Clovis populations. "Whether or not the proposed extraterrestrial impact occurred is a matter for empirical testing in the geological record," the researchers write. "Insofar as concerns the archaeological record, an extraterrestrial impact is an unnecessary solution for an archaeological problem that does not exist."http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-09/uocp-nef092910.php

Lost City Musuem Celebrates 75 Years of Interpreting Ancient Nevada"Most people don't know that in Southern Nevada, we had such large-scale, prehistoric populations," says Dr. Karen Harry, an archaeologist and professor in the anthropology department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "It's kind of a big deal."http://www.lvrj.com/neon/the-artifacts-of-life-103698249.html

23 Historic Preservation Efforts in Nevada CanceledThe 23 historic preservation projects awarded funding from the Nevada Commission on Cultural Affairs earlier this year are the latest casualties of the state's budget crisis.Historic Preservation Officer Ron James said the grants totaling $3 million were pulled back after the announcement that the state has no capacity to issue new bonds this coming budget cycle.http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20100923/NEWS/100929904/1001

Symposium on the Archaeology of the Arizona Strip is Scheduled for NovemberOn Friday, November 12, and Saturday, November 13, 2010, the Kaibab Vermilion Cliffs Heritage Alliance will sponsor an archaeological symposium in Page, Arizona, Discovering the Archaeology of the Arizona Strip Region: Learning from the Past - Planning for the Future. The symposium will bring together agency archaeologists, professionals, students, tribal representatives, and the public to discuss questions that will guide a research design for the coming decades on the Arizona Strip north of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. On Friday night, November 12, keynote speakers Don and Catherine Fowler will share their archaeological experiences in the region. The public is invited without charge to the evening sessions. Early registration is $35.00 until October 1, 2010, after October 1 registration is $50.00.For symposium information and to register go tohttp://www.public.asu.edu/~ohara/AZstrip.htm

Mesa Verde For Kidshere’s no time to be nervous. The kids charge ahead up the 32-foot ladder, squeezing through a narrow, 12-foot tunnel, walking in toeholds carved into dusty sandstone. Imagine if you could only get into your office or house via toeholds carved into rock. Imagine cooking by tossing a hot rock into a waterproofed basket filled with stew fixings and grinding corn with a rock. Imagine living with your family in small stone rooms. Imagine no TV or video games to entertain the kids — just stories passed down from generation to generation.http://tinyurl.com/2bv37qh - Ventura County Star

Celebrating The Twelfth Annual Traditional Native American Indian Feast & Fundraiser Festival San Xavier PlazaThe Traditional Native American Indian Feast & Fundraiser Festival for the Golden Eagle Feather Award and Scholarship will be celebrating its TWELFTH ANNUAL, on Saturday, October 2, 2010, from 6pm to 9 pm at the San Xavier Plaza, Tucson, Arizona. This event is open to everyone.http://tinyurl.com/2bmxup7 - Tucson Citizen

Montezuma Castle National Monument Celebrates 50th AnniversaryIn the shadow of nearly 1,000-year-old ruins, Marie Carone joined a celebration of a small, but significant milestone in the Verde Valley's history. The visitor's center at Montezuma's Castle, the popular national monument, is turning 50-years old.http://tinyurl.com/26qo8t2 - ABC 15.com

Taking a New Look at Old Digs: Trampling Animals May Alter Stone Age SitesArchaeologists who interpret Stone Age culture from discoveries of ancient tools and artifacts may need to reanalyze some of their conclusions. That's the finding suggested by a new study that for the first time looked at the impact of water buffalo and goats trampling artifacts into mud.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100923162408.htm

Legend Rock Encodes 10,000 Years of BeliefsIce Age paintings and carvings in Europe are revered as sublime achievements of early humans, yet the prehistoric rock art in the American West is far less known. At Legend Rock in central Wyoming, 10,000 years of profound beliefs are inscribed on red sandstone cliffs.http://tinyurl.com/2eagwtn - The Wall Street Journal

El Paso Museum of Archaeology Offers Free ToursThe El Paso Museum of Archaeology is offering free docent-led tours of the museum and its surrounding Chihuahuan Desert Gardens. Tours for families with children will be at 1 p.m. today and on Oct. 9 and Oct. 24. Adult tours will be at 10 a.m. on Wednesday and again on Oct. 13 and Oct. 20. Reservations are not necessary. To enjoy the gardens, wear suitable clothing, shoes and sun protection. The museum is at 4301 Trans Mountain. Information: 755-4332. - El Paso Times.

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act: Back to BasicsThe National Trust for Historic Preservation has issued a major new report evaluating how the federal government is meeting its statutory obligations to consider the effects of its activities on America’s historic and cultural resources. The report, entitled Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act: Back to Basics, urges federal agencies to take more seriously their obligations to comply with the basic statutory mandate (on the books since 1966) to consider the effects of their activities on the nation’s heritage.http://tinyurl.com/28mnkmw - National Trust for Historic Preservation

Lecture Opportunity (Cortez)Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society presents "Recent Investigations Along the Chaco North Road: The Artifacts Don't Lie!" by Jim Copeland on Tuesday, October 5, 7:00 p.m. at the Cortez Cultural Center. Jim Copeland has been the Senior BLM archaeologist for the Farmington Field Office for the past 19 years. His investigations along previously unstudied sections of the famed Chaco North Road have identified consistent patterns in road artifact distributions and physical characteristics north of Pierre’s Ruin, a large Chaco outlier complex located along the road. Research also shows that the phenomenon of parallel roads extend twice as far north of Pierre’s Ruin than previously known, and may ultimately reach the escarpment of Kutz Canyon, where the North Road via a prehistoric stairway descends into the badlands. Aerial photo and archaeological site and artifact data also indicates that the North Road continued to Aztec Ruins. This talk is free and open to the public. For more information about the talk or joining Hisatsinom, call Diane McBride at 560-1643.

National Register UpdateCongratulations to all those involved with listing the following places on the National Register of Historic Properties: Tonto National Monument Visitors Center, Tucson's Erskine P Caldwell House, the Don Martin Apartmentment House, the First Joesler House, Gable House, Haynes Building, Heckler House, and Type A and B Joesler Buildings, as well as Clarkdale's Tuzigoot Musuem,

Reminder - First Archaeology Expo Planning Meeting for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month.This coming Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 1:00 PM at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center, 3711 W Deer Valley Rd in Glendale, AZ. Please come and share your ideas as the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) initiates planning for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology Expo that will be held on March 26-27, 2011 at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center (Center) in Glendale. We will be touring the Center's grounds, exchanging ideas with the various partners, discussing programming, publicity, lay out and organization, sponsors, funding, off-site activities, etc. The SHPO values our partnerships with you we hope to see you at this meeting, and at future planning efforts, for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month public programming. For More Information, Please Contact: Ann Howard, Public Archaeology Programs Manager State Historic Preservation Office 602/542-7138, avh2@azstateparks.gov

Friday, September 24, 2010

Southwestern Archaeology making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

Politics Push Back Bill to Expand Casa Grande Ruins National MonumentThe Casa Grande Ruins National Monument expansion bill (HR 5110) received a substantial majority of votes on Thursday (Sept. 23), with 244 votes for, and 174 votes against. However, the bill was considered under “suspension,” which requires a two-thirds majority. The bill did not reach that threshold, so it failed.http://tinyurl.com/38gkv97 - Center for Desert Archaeologyhttp://tinyurl.com/37byc2q = Arizona Republic

Arizona Republic Advocates Expansion of Casa Grande RuinsThe U.S. House of Representatives is taking a recorded vote today on a proposal to expand the boundaries of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. If any bill should be a slam dunk, this is it. The significance of the site was obvious more than a century ago, when it became America's first archaeological reserve in 1892. It was designated as a national monument in 1918.http://tinyurl.com/39yfbnw - Arizona Republic

The Site of a Coronado Skirmish Uncovered in New MexicoA battleground in the first major conflict between Europeans and Native Americans in what would become the U.S. Southwest is a vacant lot on the west side of Albuquerque. For a century, archaeologists and pot hunters have known of the ruins called Piedras Marcadas ("marked boulders") — once one of at least a dozen thriving Tiwa-speaking villages in the central valley of the Rio Grande, known collectively as Tiguex (pronounced tee-wesh).http://tinyurl.com/3adx4u2 - Santa Fe New Mexican

Archaeologists Claim Evidence for "Genocide" at Small Pit House VillageCrushed leg bones, battered skulls and other mutilated human remains are likely all that's left of a Native American population destroyed by genocide that took place circa 800 A.D., suggests a new study. The paper, accepted for publication in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, describes the single largest deposit to date of mutilated and processed human remains in the American Southwest.http://www.enn.com/lifestyle/article/41799

Field School Students Excavate Folsom Site Near AlbuquerqueImagine finding evidence of one of the first human groups known to have traveled through the middle Rio Grande Valley in the Southwestern United States. That’s what students in Anthropology 375/575 did this summer as they excavated a Folsom site on a mesa west of Albuquerque. It was named Deann’s site after Deann Muller, the student who found it during a survey of the area in 2001.http://tinyurl.com/3y9wywg - University of New Mexico

Don Garate PassesDon Garate, a Rio Rico resident known for his colorful depictions of Juan Bautista de Anza II, died Tuesday of brain cancer at his son Gene’s home in Kansas. He was 59.While depicting Anza II, a Spanish captain who led an expedition in 1775 from Tubac to establish the first overland route to present-day San Francisco, Garate appeared in full costume with a red-trimmed navy blue cape and a black hat, sometimes on horseback.http://tinyurl.com/2wnqtc2 - The Nogales International

(Related Story) A Tribute to Don Garate's Final Performance as Juan Bautista De Anza Available on YoutubeF or over 25 years Don Garate has played the role of Juan Bautista de Anza for the National Park Service, Tumacacori National Historic Park. He has embodied the legacy of Anza for us all to enjoy today. Presented here is a five minute tribute to Don excerpted from an in-production video on Anza, "Legacy of a Journey" being prepared for the Park Service for distribution in the summer of 2011.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTJF-8ners4

Paul S. Martin PassesPaul S. Martin developed the idea that early humans had hunted North America's Ice Age big game, including ground sloths, camels, mammoths and mastodons, to extinction. Paul S. Martin, the University of Arizona geoscientist who developed the idea that overhunting drove North America's large Ice Age mammals extinct, died Sept. 13 at his home in Tucson, Ariz. He was 82.http://www.uanews.org/node/34237

Native American Cultural Preservation - Without a CasinoLike other native Americans, the Hopi of Arizona have faced adversity, including seeing their homeland, or tutsqua, shrink from more than 18 million acres to 1.5 million acres today. Hopi groups disagree about how to preserve their culture: Build a casino or remain gambling-free? Encourage tourists or restrict them? Their responses have stayed on the conservative side – they have twice voted down building a casino. But now, with the support of their tribal government, the progressive Upper Moenkopi have built the first major Hopi hotel, the Moenkopi Legacy Inn near Tuba City.http://tinyurl.com/36xk2bk - The Christian Science Monitor

Astronomy Evening At Gila Cliff Dwellings National MonumentSaturday, October 2, 2010 - Take advantage of New Mexico’s magnificent dark skies by attending the season’s final astronomy evening at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument on Saturday, October 2nd beginning at 5:00 p.m.http://www.cdarc.org/sat/gcd_astronomy3.doc - Ms Word Document\

Nanodiamonds Discovered in Greenland Ice Sheet, Contribute to Evidence for Cosmic ImpactNanosize diamonds have been discovered in the Greenland ice sheet, according to a study reported by scientists in a recent online publication of the Journal of Glaciology. The finding adds credence to the controversial hypothesis that fragments of a comet struck across North America and Europe approximately 12,900 years ago.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100914143626.htm

National Park's Entrance Fees Waived this SaturdayThis Saturday, Sept 25, the National Park Service is offering free access to 392 national parks to commemorate National Public Lands Day, reports the America's Great Outdoors Campaign, a community-based conservation awareness effort.http://www.enn.com/lifestyle/article/41808

2011 Pecos Conference to be held on the Arizona StripThe 2011 Pecos Conference of Southwestern Archaeology will be held in the Kaibab National Forest on the “Arizona Strip,” north and west of the Colorado River, August 11-14. The site is an open park at Mile-and-a-half Lake, 8 miles south of Jacob Lake and 2.5 miles west of SR 67. Jacob Lake is located at the intersection of US 89A and SR67 between Lee’s Ferry and Fredonia. Individuals and organizations interested in assisting in the organization as partners, sponsors, or vendors may contact David Purcell at davidepurcell@gmail.com. Additional information will be released as it is available through this channel and the conference website, which is in development. Please prepare for a celebration of the archaeology and history of the Arizona Strip, southwestern Utah, and southern Nevada in the 99th year of Arizona Statehood!

First Archaeology Expo Planning Meeting for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month. This coming Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 1:00 PM at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center, 3711 W Deer Valley Rd in Glendale, AZ. Please come and share your ideas as the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) initiates planning for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology Expo that will be held on March 26-27, 2011 at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center (Center) in Glendale. We will be touring the Center’s grounds, exchanging ideas with the various partners, discussing programming, publicity, lay out and organization, sponsors, funding, off-site activities, etc. The SHPO values our partnerships with you – we hope to see you at this meeting, and at future planning efforts, for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month public programming. For More Information, Please Contact: Ann Howard, Public Archaeology Programs Manager State Historic Preservation Office 602/542-7138, avh2@azstateparks.gov

Lecture Opportunity: TubacThe Hohokam Southern Frontier Revisited: Recent Excavations at the Continental Site in Green Valley. Thursday October 14, 2010, 7 PM at Santa Cruz County’s North County Facility 50 Bridge Road, Tubac, Az. This presentation at the Santa Cruz Valley Chapter, Arizona Archaeological Society monthly meeting will illustrate and discuss all of the archaeological investigations that have been conducted at the Continental prehistoric site. Despite the toll that historic and modern developments have taken on this site, more than 100 intact archaeological features have been found still buried there, and 44 of those features have been excavated.http://www.cdarc.org/sat/ southern_hohokam_frontier.pdf

Reminder - Only one week left to submit proposals for the Arizona History Conference. Proposals must be submitted by October 1, 2010, to Bruce J. Dinges, c/o Arizona Historical Society, 949 E. 2nd St., Tucson, AZ 85719. Only one proposal per presenter. Include name, address, phone number, and biographical information, along with title of presentation and no more than one page of description.http://www.arizonahistory.org/2011conv/2011call.html

Thanks to Brian Kreimendahl and Adrianne Rankin for contributing to today's newsletter.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

Ray Thompson to Speak at Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Meeting (Tucson)Dr. Thompson will be presenting the monthly AAHS lecture on Monday, Sept 20th at 7:30 pm in DuVal Auditorium, UMC, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. Dr. Thompson's will share his stories of southwestern archaeology in a talk entitled "The Real Dirt of Southwestern Archaeology: Tall Tales from the Good Old Days." The event is free and open to the public.

San Xavier - "A Gift of Angels"It’s possible to become so familiar with something that we begin to take it for granted. We begin to overlook the meaning and the beauty that is present in the details. Bernard Fontana is a leading authority on Mission San Xavier del Bac, and the author of A Gift of Angels. “It was a huge undertaking,” he says, “to photograph the building and façade in detail.” Bernard, or "Bunny," to you and I, has been quite curious about this church for many decades, and he’s devoted a large part of his life to the scholarly interpretation of the San Xavier del Bac.http://tinyurl.com/sanxavier

Huhugam Ki Museum Lecture Series Begins at the Salt River Maricopa Community Building "Onk Akimel–Va Shly’ay" Huhugam Ki Museum presents 3 nights of community talks, starting Thursday Sept. 30, 2010. “Finding Traces of Our Past: What Will Your Grandchildren Tell Their Grandchildren?” will be presented at the SRPMIC Cultural Preservation Program and Archaeology Program, Salt River Community Building, Longmore and McDowell from 6;00pm to 8;00pm. Light supper served at 5:30pmhttp://www.cdarc.org/sat/3_nights_poster.pdf

Gary Nabhan to Speak at the Arizona Humanities Council's 2010 Lorraine W. Frank Lecture (Tucson)The Arizona Humanities Council is proud to announce that this year's featured speaker is Gary Paul Nabhan. Gary Nabhan is an internationally known writer, lecturer, food and farming advocate whose work has long been rooted in the U.S. / Mexico borderlands region. He is a Research Social Scientist at the Southwest Center of the University of Arizona. The talk will be held at the Leo Rich Theater in Tucson, Friday, Oct 22, 2010 with the reception starting at 5:30 pm. The lecture will begin at 6:30. This event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is requested at the link below.http://www.azhumanities.org/lwf_lecture5.php

NATHPO Training Program on Dangerous Chemicals in Artifacts OfferedMany museum collections were treated with pesticides to preserve them. Often there are no records and staff is unaware of what might be on the collection or how it may affect researchers. This class is designed for museum curators and others who work with Native American and ethnographic collections. It details methods to mitigate hazards from chemicals and pesticides and health issues stemming from their use on artifacts. Participants in Dangerous Materials: Chemical Poisons in Native American and Ethnographic Artifacts work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums. The course is limited to 20 participants. The instructor, Dr. Nancy Odegaard is the Conservator and Head of the Preservation Division for Arizona State Museum. She is also a Professor in the Department of Anthropology. Nancy manages and supervises staff and programs in the conservation lab, advises on museum environmental issues, and seeks to promote the preservation of collections through improved exhibition and storage conditions. Registration deadline is Friday, Sept 24th, 2010.http://www.nathpo.org/NNMTP/DangerousMaterialsApplication.html

Archaeo-Nevada Society Begins this Year's Lecture SeriesThe Archaeo-Nevada Society started its 2010-2011 season with its first meeting Sept. 9th with a talk given by Mark Boatright BLM Archaeologist for Redrock Canyon National Conservation Area. His talked was about the archaeological happenings a at the conservation area with an emphasis on the rock rings throughout the area. The Society meets monthly September through May on the second Thursday at 7 pm on the College of Southern Nevada West Charleston Campus in building K room 228. All are welcome for our monthly lectures. Octobers meeting will feature Chuck Williams from the Redrock Canyon Interpretive Association discussing the rockart in Redrock Canyon. For information about membership contact Bruce Holloway at bholloway9@cox.net

Rock Art Symposium AnnouncementRock Art 2010, the 35th annual Rock Art Symposium presented by the San Diego Museum of Man, will meet on Saturday, November 6, 2010, at the Otto Center at the San Diego Zoo on Park Blvd. in San Diego's Balboa Park. This day-long event offers participants the opportunity to share in the results of rock art research around the globe, presented in slide-illustrated lectures. Registration is $40 for students and Museum members, $50 for general admission, including a commemorative ceramic mug. The Rock Art 2010 Flyer with registration information and directions to the Symposium is now available at the link below.http://www.museumofman.org/sites/default/files/RA2010Flyer.pdf

Rock Art Symposium Call for PapersIf you have rock art research to report, or a new discovery to announce to the world, we are accepting proposals for Rock Art 2010 papers until available time on the program is filled. To submit a paper, send the title and a brief abstract by e-mail to RockArt2010@cox.net <> no later than October 30, 2010. E-mail is preferred, but abstracts can be mailed if necessary to Ken Hedges at the San Diego Museum of Man, 1350 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101

National Register ReportCongratulations to Pima County's Robles Ranch House, for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

Public Archaeology at Fort St. Joseph is the Latest Feature on the Archaeology ChannelEngaging the public in an archaeological project requires some stimulation of the imagination. As an example, the field school team at Fort St. Joseph in western Michigan take the public back to French colonial times in Making the Past Come Alive: Public Archaeology at Fort St. Joseph, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel. Fort St. Joseph, begun as a French Jesuit mission in the 1680s, was one of the earliest European settlements in the western Great Lakes and an important link among the remote settlements of New France. For almost 80 years, French priests, enlisted men, and traders lived here closely with the native Potowatomi and Miami. After 1781, the fort eventually eroded away and its location was forgotten until its relocation by the Western Michigan University field School. WMU now carries out a very active public archaeology program at the site. http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

The Archaeological Institute that Helped Define Santa FeAdolph Bandelier was broke. Although he had received a $1,200 grant to explore the indigenous peoples and wondrous ruins of New Mexico, that money went quickly to travel and supplies. Exasperated, curious and probably a little bitter, Bandelier investigated the disbursements of funds dedicated to archaeology by American institutions. The vast majority of gifts and funds, he found, went to classics, the study of ancient civilizations in Europe. Very little money and very little attention went to scholarship of American antiquities. The United States needed a center for its own archaeology.http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/400-9SARS

Archaeology Cafe Tonight in TucsonThe next Archaeology Café will convene on Tuesday, September 7, 2010. We will be joined by a panel of archaeologists from William Self Associates, Inc., who will discuss their work at the Marsh Station Road (MSR) site. This 20-acre site is located near the confluence of Cienega Creek and Mescal Wash, southeast of Tucson. MSR was inhabited at several points in time between 1050 B.C. and A.D. 1400. The panel—which will be led by project director Michael Boley—will share what they have learned about life and subsistence at MSR, especially during the Early Agricultural and Hohokam Sedentary (Middle Rincon) periods. Their findings have implications for use of the “hinterlands” concept in Hohokam archaeology in the region.http://tinyurl.com/343syqd - Center for Desert Archaeology

Tribes Seek Faster Repatriation of their Ancestors' RemainsAmid the broken treaties, confiscated lands and other injustices that Native Americans have endured at the hands of white people, few are as personal as the removal of their buried ancestors. For a culture that assigns special meaning to burial rites, it's been painful, Native Americans say, knowing that the remains of tens of thousands of their ancestors have been unearthed, carted off and kept in various federal agencies, museums and other institutions - and not being able to do much about it. http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100830/NEWS/8300314/1001/news

Impact Hypothesis Loses Its Sparkle: Shock-Synthesized Diamonds Not FoundAbout 12,900 years ago, a sudden cold snap interrupted the gradual warming that had followed the last Ice Age. The cold lasted for the 1,300-year interval known as the Younger Dryas (YD) before the climate began to warm again. In the August 30 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of scientists led by Tyrone Daulton, PhD, a research scientist in the physics department at Washington University in St. Louis, reported that they could find no diamonds in YD boundary layer material.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100830152530.htm

Lima Beans Domesticated TwiceLima beans were domesticated at least twice, according to a new genetic diversity study by Colombian scientists. Big seeded varieties known as "Big Lima" were domesticated in the Andean Mountains, while small seeded "Sieva" and "Potato" varieties originated in central-western Mexico.The researchers also discovered a "founder effect," which is a severe reduction in genetic diversity due to domestication. This means that today's Lima bean varieties contain only a small fraction of the genetic diversity present in their respective wild ancestors.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100831222310.htm

Sacred Site gets RespitePALA, Calif. – A site in rural San Diego County deemed culturally and environmentally sensitive by Indians was given a respite Aug. 5 from being turned into a landfill. The Pala Band of Mission Indians, whose community sits two miles away from the site, and an environmental group, objected to the application to operate the proposed 1,770-acre landfill filed from Gregory Canyon Landfill Ltd of San Diego, the tribe said in a press release. A San Diego County public agency rescinded its previous green light on the application after the tribe and the Natural Resources Defense Council pointed out the lack of financial responsibility and other inaccuracies in the application, the tribe said in the press release.http://tinyurl.com/38fwj5s - Indian Country Today

Supaulovi Village and the City of Winslow Host Suvoyuki Day CelebrationsSipaulovi Village hosts Suvoyuki Day on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at Hopi Second Mesa in northeastern Arizona. The day begins at 5:00 a.m. MST with registration for the 5-mile traditional foot race and 2-mile fun run and walk. From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. MST, enjoy the Food and Artists Market, walking tours, and lectures. All events originate at the Sipaulovi Visitor Center on Second Mesa and are open to the public. Follow signs from the Highway 264/87 junction to the village.http://www.cdarc.org/sat/suvoyuki.doc- MS Word Document

2011 - Arizona Archaeology And Heritage Awareness Month Poster Design CompetitionThe Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is pleased to announce a call for original designs to be used on the 2011 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month (AAHAM) poster. The winning poster design will receive $250.00! In addition to being featured on the AAHAM poster, the chosen design will also be utilized on other 2011 AAHAM publicity tools, e.g., the statewide Listing of Events brochure, bookmarks, websites, and other venues/materials to be determined by the SHPO. The poster design should address the theme for the month: “Arizona Through Time: Stories of Stone”http://www.cdarc.org/sat/poster_competition.doc - MS Word Document

Coffee with the Curators at ASMJoin us Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 3 Pm in the Arizona State Museum Library for a cup of coffee and an informal conversation with one of our curators! Dr. Dale Brenneman, assistant curator of documentary history, talks about the challenges—and the fun—of working with Spanish colonial documents to research the history of Native peoples. Enjoy freshly brewed coffee donated by Tucson Mountain Coffee Roasters and a delicious assortment of cookies donated by Paradise Bakery and Café. Future conversations on Oct 6, Nov 3, and Dec 1.

Publication Announcement - Leaving Mesa Verde - Peril and Change in the Thirteenth-Century SouthwestCrow Canyon is pleased to announce the publication of Leaving Mesa Verde: Peril and Change in the Thirteenth-Century Southwest. The 14-chapter volume, published by the University of Arizona Press, is edited by Dr. Timothy Kohler, regents professor at Washington State University (WSU) and a Crow Canyon research associate; Dr. Mark Varien, Crow Canyon vice president of programs; and Aaron Wright, a Ph.D. student at WSU and a preservation fellow at the Center for Desert Archaeology. As the title suggests, the book examines the depopulation of the northern Southwest, with a focus on the Mesa Verde region.http://www.imakenews.com/crowcanyon1/e_article001851348.cfm?x=b11,0,w

Hiking Opportunity - 1230 to 1930. How Much has ChangedGrants, New Mexico – Saturday, September 11 - Hike from the stunning Lobo Canyon petroglyphs into the heart of BLM El Malpais NCA wilderness. End at a homestead built on a “Mogasazi” site in Mexican Spotted Owl habitat. Look for evidence that technology in the 1230s was more helpful than in the 1930s.http://www.cdarc.org/sat/1230_to_1920.doc

Travelogue - Navajo National MonumentThe visitor center at Navajo National Monument traces the history and culture of both the ancient cliff dwellers and the Navajo Nation through displays of centuries-old pottery; sandals, cord, cloth and baskets woven from fibers of native plants; flaked stone tools; wooden utensils; shell, bone and turquoise beads and ornaments; and demonstrations by contemporary Navajo artisans of such traditional crafts as rug-weaving.http://tinyurl.com/3azpeeq - The Chieftan.Com

Travelogue - Mesa VerdeThere's no time to be nervous. The kids charge ahead up the 32-foot ladder, squeezing through a narrow, 12-foot tunnel, walking in toeholds carved into dusty sandstone. Imagine if you could only get into your office or house via toeholds carved into rock. Imagine cooking by tossing a hot rock into a waterproofed basket filled with stew fixings and grinding corn with a rock. Imagine living with your family in small stone rooms. Imagine no TV or video games to entertain the kids — just stories passed down from generation to generation.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38937842/ns/travel-family_travel/

About Southwestern Archaeology Today

Welcome to Southwestern Archaeology Today, published by the Center for Desert Archaeology.
We have developed the this news service as a networking tool for professional, academic, and avocational archaeologists working in the American Southwest and Mexican Northwest.
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